Social Media

Julia: The Invisible Dot

The Edinburgh Fringe is well and truly under way, and with it comes the slew of largely underwhelming posters for shows. Thanks then to design studio Julia, whose work for The Invisible Dot stands head and shoulders above the standard comedian-pulling-a-face dreck. It also helps that the Dot’s shows do much the same – Jonny Sweet, Tim Key and Alex Horne’s The Horne Section come highly recommended, not to mention their Communications Ltd. phoneboxes.

Swiss designer Dafi Kühne has worked with editor Reto Caduff to design and edit a monograph of his work. True Print, published by Lars Müller, contains 152 pages that show the diverse work of Dafi and the designer in his studio. Dafi is known for mixing analogue and digital techniques to produce his distinctive work, using a massive array of tools – from the computer to a pantograph. “Never afraid of getting his hands dirty in his creative workshop, Dafi Kühne embraces the labour involved in the entire process of creating a poster, from initial idea to finished product,” says the publisher. “Fusing modern means with the century-old tradition of letterpress, he forms a new vocabulary for how to communicate through type and form in a truly contemporary way."

Sport 2 Racket is a collaborative fanzine dedicated to “racket sports and street culture”, designed by Toulouse-based designer Paul Bouigue. Interspersed within the zine’s short articles are photographs and illustrations all seemingly focused around ping pong and other table-top, racket-based sports.

Distinguished printmaker Anthony Burrill has collaborated with Mr Jones Watches to create A-OK! a limited edition watch, accompanied by a signed and numbered screen print by the designer. The London-based watch makers produce and assemble each of their products here in the city; their designs are distinctive and unique, often created in collaboration with contemporary creatives.

Graphic design studio Build has created the identity for Plæy, a newly launched furniture and homeware brand. The logo and icon is intended to mirror the brand’s approach to its products, with a simple, modular and playful design that can adapt as the company develops.

Italy-based practice Studio Mut has designed an identity and catalogue for the Museion Prize – a new art prize organised by the museum of contemporary art in Bolzano of the same name. The Museion aims to “bridge many artistic and cultural influences” and the prize awards four up-and-coming artists.

Gig posters are unfortunately often overlooked as significant pieces of communicative graphic design, despite being one of the remaining types of advertising that we see in print every day. Plastered up around tube stations, brick walls or billboards, they catch our eye and encourage us to attend concerts of those we love but equally the bands we’ve never heard of. Designer Kii Monroe Arens is a champion of this field, creating over 250 pieces of poster artwork for the likes of Radiohead, Tame Impala, Sonic Youth and even Dolly Parton. If you’ve been to a stateside concert and bought the poster, chances are Kii designed it.